Random thoughts

Hello to anyone who reads this. It has  been quite a while since I have updated this so I will share a few random thoughts on what has gone on recently.

The Bulls

     The last time I wrote, I promised an update after the first ten games. Well those first ten games started off fairly well. They did not score much, but they rebounded, played together, and even played defense. Unfortunately things went sour quickly. What happened? The dreaded circus trip happened.

     Suddenly the Bulls of old came back and not the even post championship play off teams. The Bulls that came back were the unwatchable Bulls teams during the Tim Floyd era. I thought the Bulls hit a low when they let Toronto Raptor Jarrett Jack tie his shoes! Yes, I said let him tie his shoes. Five Bulls players watched as Jarrett Jack as he crossed half cort and bent ofver to tie his shoes. That has not even been the worst part if that is believable.

     On December 21st 2009, the unthinkable happened against the Sacramento Kings. The Bulls came out firing and the Kings came out flat, such as the Bulls have normally done lately. The Bulls played well into the third quarter, but as the 8:50 mark hit, things went south. How south? With 20:50 to go in the game, the Bulls were up 35, got outscored 58-19 and lost! A lost of epic proportions and left many fans wondering how Vinny Del Negro still has a job.  No words can describe the collapse, so none will be given to try and figure out how that happened. This is a Bulls team that needs to be blown up if possible. The only two players that should be kept are Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah.

Big Ten expansion

     Recently there has been lots of "talk" about the Big ten expanding and adding a twelth team.  Normally this would not be discussed here, but Missouri has been mentioned a lot, so it will be discussed.  Of course this is all speculation and only in the explaratory phase. I have still not decided if this would be a good move for the Tigers. Here are a few possible pros and cons.

Con:

Losing natural rivals. The two I am speaking about for Mizzou fans should be an easy one, Kansas and Nebraska.  It would be nice if Mizzou could somehow fit both teams onto the schedule but in a new conference, it would be unlikely. The rival that would get booted from the schedule would have to be Nebraska. Kansas and Mizzou recently signed an extension to keep the Kansas vs. Mizzou game at Arrowhead. Money talks, so it would unlikely that Arrowhead would want this series to be lost.

Pro:

Gaining new rivals. Here is some idea of what a potential Big 10 (I guess they would stay the Big 10) would look if it went to an East/West split.

West                                   East
Mizzou                               Ohio St
Iowa                                   Michigan
Illinois                                Michigan St
Northwestern                     Indiana
Minnesota                          Penn St.
Wisconsin                          Purdue

New rivals are always fun and the west side of the conference would be pretty even for the most part.

Pro:

New recruiting bases. Joining the Big 10 would allow Mizzou to recruit more into the Chicago area. It does not seem as if they really do much of that know. There is a lot of talent in the Chicago area that could be helpful to them.

Con:

Losing a potential recuritng base. For kds growing up in Big 12 viewing areas, it seems as if they like to stay those areas.  A big recruiting base for Mizzou is Texas. Chase Daniel, Sean Weatherspoon, and Danario Alexander are three guys from Texas that hardly got a look from schools in Texas. Mizzou picked up the scraps and benefitted greatly from having those three on the team.  Here is an interesting quote from Sean Weatherspoon about if Mizzou could still recruit the Texas area.

From Dave Matter's Behind the Stripes, "Four and Out" blog


I posed that question — Could Missouri recruit Texas kids to play in the Big Ten? — to Tigers linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, a native of Jasper, Texas. He leaned toward doubtful for two reasons. “If you look at that conference, you think of it as being cold all the time,” he said. “And you think of never really getting the chance to come down south so your parents can see you play or family members that you want to see you play.”

This can only be proven if Missouri actually joins the Big 10. Until then, I am likely to agree with Spoon here.

Tiger Woods

Moving on.

There will be a lot more college basketball updates since conference play is getting ready to start. One last thing, it was nice to finally see Mizzou beat Illinois at basketball. Nine years in a row is far too long.

-Mike Moreau

Thoughts on Butler vs. NU

I got some last minute tickets to the NU vs. Butler game and decided to go see them play.  Butler is currently ranked 10th in the ESPN/USA today poll and 11th in the AP. Here are some thoughts from the game.  Another quick note is that NU is missing Kevin Coble (foot) and Jeff Ryan (ACL). Both Ryan and Coble's injuries are season ending.

Butler:

For where Butler is ranked, they did not play like it. Northwestern playing without Coble and Ryan were able to stay in the game for most of the first half and early into the second.   Northwestern hung with Butler before Butler went on a 12-0 run in the second half to put it away.

Horizon league ore-season player of the year Matt Howard did not play particularly well. Howard finished the game  4-8 with  9 points. Howard looked a little off tonight  but expect him to pick it up the rest of the year. Gordon Heyward, one of my favorite players, and Shelvin Mack picked up slack with 14 and 15 respectively.

Butler attacked Northwestern's 1-3-1 by having their guards drive and kick the ball out into the corner for wide open three point shots. Avery Jukes and Zach Hahn were a combined 5-7 from downtown, all of which I believe came from the corner. Depending on who is in the game, Butler will have five guys who can shoot the three.

Jukes and Hahn seem to lead what is a deep Butler bench. Nine guys got at least 10 minutes tonight, which should help them long term. They did not seem to skip a beat when Shawn Vanzant left the game after playing only sixteen minutes after getting poked in the eye.

One other thing to look for is Butler's poor free throw shooting. They shot 72% as a team last year, but were 8-16 tonight from the stripe. Not sure if this will be a trend, but it could lose them some games if the poor free throw shooting continues.

Butler winning the Horizon league should not be an issue. Cleveland St. has been tough for them the past couple of seasons, but Wright St. was picked to finish second in the conference.

Northwestern:

This is a team that is going to struggle with out Kevin Coble and Jeff Ryan. NU had 16 turnovers and with an offense that is going to struggle to score, that is way too much.

If NU has any success, John Shurna and Luka Mirkovic will have to step up. Shurna is tough and can post up certain guards. Mirkovic is NU's only inside presence. Kyle Rowley is soft  and needs some post moves.Jeremy Nash is an athletic player with no jump shot. For Nash to be successful, it will most likely be on the defensive end and driving to the hoop. Juice Thompson will have to control this offense and not turn the ball over so much.

If NU upsets teams, it will be because they have slowed the game down and are hitting their three pointers. It did neither of those things tonight. NU was 30% from downtown today and seemed to play a lot faster then they wanted to. Low scoring games will be NU's friend this year.

NU will probably finish last in the Big 10. I did not see how they will win many games this year.

-Mike Moreau

Up for debate

Maurice Jones-Drew made what a lot of people think is a really smart play today towards the end of the Jaguarss-Jets today.

With the Jaguars driving, Jones-Drew took a hand off from David Garrard, ran from nine yards and took a knee at the 1. Jaguars coaches told Jones-Drew to get as close as possible and then stop to keep the lock ticking.

“Sorry to my fantasy owners,” Jones-Drew deadpanned. “I apologize. I had myself today. It was a tough call, but whatever it takes to get the victory, that’s what counts.”

The Saints had no time-outs and Garrard took a knee n back to back plays and Josh Scobee kicked the game winning field goal. The Jaguars won the game 24-22.

Now, I am not questioning this move because Jones-Drew is on my fantasy team, I question it because Scobee could have missed that field goal. Something could have happened on the snap. Other unfortunate things that could have cost the Jags the game. Jones had a clear path into the end zone, why not just get in the end zone? Is it smart thinking if Scobee misses the field goal?

Scobee did nail the field goal, the Jaguars won the game, and taking a knee at the one became a smart play. If Jones-Drew scores that touchdown the score becomes 27-22, meaning the Jets still would have needed a touchdown on the following possession. The score would stay 27-22 if the Jaguars missed the two point conversation they would have likely have gone for in that situation. It seems odd that I have not heard anyone question this play. Why not make a struggling Mark Sanchez beat you?

Remember when Tomy Romo fumbled that snap for the game winning field goal against the Seahawks? I do. It is always better to take the points.  It is odd to say thinking too much can be bad, but on a football field it can be. When you have do more than what is asked of you, you never know what can happenCrazy things can happen and sometimes do. 99.9% of the time the kicker will make that field goal, but it is better to be safe than sorry. . Bradon Stokely killed time after making that miracle catch but he eventually scored. There are times when this play is appropriate and sometimes when it it is not.

The Jaguars won the game, so none of this really matters right now, because now it is a smart play. Just remember in the future if something like this happens and something goes wrong. Remember who questioned the thought of plays like this. Coming from a guy whose teams tend to have ridiculous things happen to them, I hope you can understand why I tend to think the worst things will happen.

Other thoughts

Dave Matter empties his notebook on the Mizzou-Kansas St. game and offers some bowl projections

Ohio St. beat Iowa in an exciting Big 10 game to clinch a share of the Big 10 championship. The Big 12 is now likely to get two teams into BCS bowls. Will they fold like they have in the past or finally rise to the challenge and win a big game out of conference?

Big 12 Championship is looking like a Nebraska vs. Texas match-up if both teams take care of business.  Nebraska is the North's best chance to beat the South in the Big 12 title game. It is unlikely that Mizzou or Kansas St. would have been able to keep up with Texas. Texas has steam rolled pretty much every one they have played this year.

I just finished the book The Original Curse. The premise behind the book is the idea that the 1918 Cubs may have been the inspiration for the 1919 Black Sox's. Interesting book and a must read for Cub and baseball fans out there.

Next up on the blog will be a ten game recap on the Bulls season so far.

-Mike Moreau

Football thoughts from the weekend

Here are some football thoughts from the weekend.


Bears vs. Cardinals

Tommie Harris- The game got off to a great start when Tommie Harris decided he wanted to punch someone after a few plays into the game. What are you thinking? Many people are thinking how can a player be so riled up after four plays.  It is unbelievable how a player who signed a 4 year $40 million dollar contract extension in 2008 has gotten so bad. Harris has not been the same since he ruptured his hamstring in 2006 and it could be time to let him figure it out elsewhere. As Jeff Dickers just mentioned on ESPN 1000's Waddle and Silvy show, "Tommie Harris is a waste if time." The more Tommie Harris plays, I tend to agree with that though.

Defense- Just plain awful. Eleven guys off the street could have scored every time they touched the ball in the first half the way they played yesterday. It will be interesting to see how the team plays the rest of the season with a tough schedule. Giving up 182 rushing yards to the worst rushing team in the league is unacceptable. If the Bears defense does not get it together soon, they may not win another game.

Ken Wisenhunt- With 11:50 to go in the game and the Cards up 34-14, Wisenhunt put in back up qb Mattt Leinhart. Immediately, I wondered, Why is he in the game? Warner ate the Bears alive the whole game. Leinhart throws an interception and all of the sudden the Bears are back in the game. The Bears scored a touchdown on their drive to make it 34-21 and gained a lot of momentum in the game. If not for a Jay Cutler interception that gave the Cardinals a short field, it is not crazy to think the Bears could have won that game. The defense played better in the second half and the offense finally seemed to come to life. After the Leinhart interception and Bears td, Wisenhunt wisely put Warner back into the game. Wisenhunt is very lucky this strange decision did not come back to hurt him.

Chargers vs. Giants

After an interception by the Giants to the Chargers 4, it looked like the Giants had the game in hand. The Giants got called for offensive holding, and then ran two plays for short gains. The third play is the play in question. The Giants had 3rd and Goal from the Chargers 9 up 17-14, Tom Coughlin plays it safe, runs the ball out of shotgun. The Giants kick the field goal and go up 20-14. I understand the call. Coughlin thought his defense would shut down the Chargers, but why not go for the kill? Does Coughlin not trust Eli enough to make a throw in the red zone? Eli could have thrown an incomplete pass and the Chargers still could have driven down for the game winning touchdown. If the Giants score a td, game over.  The Giants have now lost four in a row and it should be interesting to see what NY Giants radio and fans are saying right now.

Eagles vs. Cowboys

To start these thoughts, we will have to go back a little in the game to explain this. The Eagles had 4th and 1 on the Cowboys and decide to go for it. Now, it looks like McNabb got the first down, but the refs  give the Eagles and McNabb a terrible spot. Andy Reid decides he is going to challenge the play. It is important to note that this is the Eagles second challenge and if they lost the challenge, also their last timeout would be gone. The challenge is upheld and the Eagles not only have no challenges, but also no timeouts. I do not blame the Eagles for going for it, but I do question them challenging a call that on replay looked inconclusive. Someone upstairs should have helped Andy Reid out and the Eagles probably  should not have challenged it. The Cowboys score of the next drive to go up 20-13. The Eagles are driving and get to the Cowboys 34 before they are stopped. The Eagles have 4th and 11 at the Cowboys 34, but Andy Reid decides to kick a field goal instead of going for it on fourth down. I agree with Chris Collinsworth, who said something to the effect of going for the field goal does not really change the fact the Eagles would still need a td.  Al Michaels then said the only thing that changed is if they get a td they would win. Having no timeouts, the Eagles should have been more inclined to go for it. The defense played relatively well, but it does not change the fact that the Cowboys could control the game. They did exactly that. The Cowboys got a couple of first downs and the game ended because the Eagles could not stop the clock. Who really knows what Andy Reid was thinking, but Eagles fans can not be happy with that call.

-Mike Moreau

What were they thinking?

What were they thinking is back! I know everyone who reads this wondered where it went for a few weeks, but I got pretty busy. Anyways, things were back to normal this week and I got to watch quite a bit of sports this weekend. Normally there is only one candidate, but for this edition there are three names that come to mind. Here are the candidates for this edition of what were they thinking.

Candidate #1- Kansas Coach Mark Mangino 

Situation-Kansas is down seven, 4 and 1 (probably a little less than 1) with a little over seven minutes to go

Result-Todd Reesing fumbles the snap and Texas Tech runs it in for for the go ahead touchdown to put Tech up 14.

What I did not like-It seemed a little to early to go for it on fourth down in a seven point game. The game had been pretty close for the most part. The decision to go for it seemed like an indictment on Kansas defense. It is always easier to second guess, but punting the ball and giving yourself a chance seems like a much better option. Instead of being down seven, Kansas got down 14 and the game was pretty much over.

Candidate # 2- Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh

For some reason Suh decided to go for a joyride after Nebraska's win against Baylor. Suh blew a  .035 below the limit of .08, but still not a smart idea. Suh should have just stayed asleep at his friends house rather than try to get to home. Suh not only messed up his land rover (over 10,000 in damages), but also hit two other cars ($8,000 a piece) and totaled another one. Suh is lucky things did not get worse for him and no one was seriously hurt.  Suh is an extremely talented player who will go on to make big dollars on the next level. No one says not to drink and have a little fun, but think the next time. Give credit to Nebraska coach, Bo Pellini for disciplining Suh.

Candidate # 3- Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels


Hamels, potential game seven started for the Phillies in the World series if it gets that far, had a brain fart after game five.

"I can't wait for it to end," Hamels was quoted as saying after the game. "It's been mentally draining. At year's end, you just can't wait for a fresh start." (ESPN)

Whether Hamels meant it or not, this is not something that should get said aloud. Hamels has a lot going on in his life with a newborn child and the rough year he has had. As a manager, I would not be so sure I could trust Hamels after a statement like that. Hamels has talked with Phillies manager Charlie Manuel to make sure they are on the same page, but does he trust Hamels?

The Winner-

After some careful thought, the winner is... Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh. Hamels and Mangino made questionable decisions, but Suh could have hurt someone, including himself. In the future Suh will think better about making questionable decisions driving drunk. Suh should be terrific on the NFL level so in the end, getting in trouble should help him think a lot better.

-Mike Moreau


Mangino Photo-http://rankthatcoach.com/blog/2007/12/kansas-mangino-is-coach-of-the-year/

Suh Photo- http://www.cornnation.com/photos/how-cornnation-voted-for-all-big

Hamels photo-http://citifield.wordpress.com/2009/06/11/utley-disappointing-mets-falter-in-11th-5-4-61009/

Bulls season preview

picture courtesy of bleacher report

The NBA season officially began tonight with a matchup featuring the Cavaliers and Celtics. This got me to write a Chicago Bulls season preview. I am a Bulls fan who rooted for the Bulls, not just Michael Jordan and have stuck with the team. Yes, I rooted for them through the Tim Floyd era, despite how ugly it was.  Anyways, here goes my thoughts on the 2009-2010 bulls.

key losses-Ben Gordon

The Bulls lost other players, but Ben Gordon is the only significant player lost from last years team.

New additions-Taj Gibson, James Johnson, Janero Pargo

It will be interesting to see if the two rookies drafted can make significant contributions on the offensive and defensive end.

Some key questions:

1. With Ben Gordon loss, who will replace Ben Gordon's production?

Ben Gordon seemed to be the guy Bulls fans never knew to love or hate. He took a lot of bad shots, dribbled too much, but also made lots of big shots. The common thought is Derrick Rose will pick up his production and be the guy who has the ball is his hands for the last shot, but who will help? John Salmons played a key role in getting the Bulls to the playoffs and it should be nice to have him for the whole year. The Bulls still do not have a true low post scoring option. If Joakim Noah can get some post moves, he could be an option, but that remains to be seen.Which Luol Deng will the Bulls get? The injury plagued player who missed most of the season last year? Or the 2006-2007 Deng who averaged just under 19 points per game? They desperately need the 2006-2007 Deng. If Deng, Salmons, and Rose play up to their talent level, they should do a good job of replacing Gordon's production.

2. Will this team play defense?

102.5(2008-2009),  100.4 (2007-2008)

Those numbers are the opponents scoring averages for the last two years.  Being a jump shot team the Bulls will have to lock it up because the jumpers are not going to fall every night. Derrick Rose, great offensive player, but he needs to improve his defense. This team as a whole gets lazy too often playing defense. The Bulls need to learn that good defense can lead to offense. The effort needs to come from both ends. Tyrus Thomas is one of those guys who needs to realize this. Thomas too often tried to make the spectacular defensive play. Thomas is a great athlete that needs to combine thinking and his athleticism. I expect Joakim Noah to keep up the effort he put in against the Celtics in the playoffs last year. Noah seems to finally be getting it and his his hard work seems to be paying off.

3. What kind of start will the team get off to?

The Bulls in recent years have gotten off to slow starts (2-8 for the 2007-2008, 5-5 2008-2009) and just struggling in general in the first half of the season. It would be nice if a Bulls teams post officially retired Jordan would have a good first half. It is a long season, but this again comes back to the effort on the defensive end. If the Bulls commit to the defensive end, they will not need that late push to get to .500/ a post season birth.

4. Starters/Rotation

This is my guess as to who the projected starters would be

PG-Rose

SG-Salmons

SF/SG-Deng

SF-Thomas

PF-Noah

Off the bench-Hinrich, Miller, Gibson, Johnson, Gray, Pargo, and Hunter

These are just the guys I expect to make some contribution to the team this year. One thing Vinny will have to do this year is to quickly figure out his rotation.  Hinrich is valuable because his defense will be needed. Not really sure what to expect of Brad Miller, who is a jump shooting big man. If Gibson and Johnson play well early on, expect them to get minutes, but Vinny limited Derrick at times.  Pargo will contribute if he can score, which at times he has proven. Expect Gray and Hunter only to get minutes only if needed. It is pretty clear that this bench, like this Bulls team has questions.

Predicted record

43-39. The record should be good enough to get the Bulls into the playoffs in the East. Without doing an NBA preview, this should put them in the 5-6 seed range.

-Mike Moreau

Jay Cutler vs. Kyle Orton

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com

      Jay Cutler, the latest in a string of Chicago Bear quarterbacks is here to stay, at least for a while. Cutler received a two-year extension that will make the Bears qb till 2013.  The extension is worth  $30 million dollars, $20 million of which is guaranteed. I am sure there many people  not happy with this deal.

    However, I am not one of those people. There has been a lot of talk lately about the Broncos being 6-0 with new qb/former Bear Kyle Orton. The supportons (courtesy of Waddle and Silvy) seem to be questioning the move of trading for Culter.  Honestly, there really is not much of a debate here. For anyone that has been a Bears fan for a long time, here are the reasons.

     The first reason is, with Cutler, the Bears have a chance to comeback in every game they play this year. It is hard to believe that any Bears fan would think that with Kyle Orton at the helm.  The numbers may not back it up this year for Cutler, but even in his terrible games (which both happened to occur on Sunday nights) the Bears could have won those games.  It is great as a fan to have that feeling your team could always mount a comeback. With the running games woes this year, with Orton the Bears probably have one, maybe two wins.

     Speaking of wins, just because  Kyle Orton is 6-0 out in Denver, does not mean he would be 5-0 here.  Denver's defense is playing extremely well, much better than any expert thought they would play. None of the defenses that Cutler played with in Denver were any good. Cutler put up numbers out there and the defense cost Denver a lot of games.  Orton is in a system that better suits his talents of the mid range game well. As Bears fans saw, Orton is not a let it losse, take chances kind of guy. It also helps that Orton has Brandon Marshall as a target to throw to every game.  So, lets stop the comparisons of the two teams win loss records. Who would fans rather have long term?

     This leads to the next point, Cutler was not brought in to win now as Brett Favre was for the Vikings. It would be nice if he did, but Cutler is here for five more years now. The Bears will build around him through free agency, the draft, and maybe even some trades. Whether Kyle Orton fans like it or not, the Bears never thought he was the long term solution.This is a guy that won 10 games and loss his job to Rex Grossman. If Orton was the answer, Cutler never ends up in Chicago and the Bears. That is the reason many people have called Cutler a franchise quarterback. Stability is something the Bears badly needed at the position and they will have that for a while. How much more could you deal with hearing rumors about qbs, such as Donovan Mcnabb?

    Now, this is nothing against Kyle Orton, but the Bears will be better off in the long run with Cutler as their qb (picture Lovie Smith saying, "Jay is our quarterback."). Kyle could be the long term guy in Denver and thats great for them. However, the Bears are much better off. They have a chance to win every game. They will build around Cutler, bringing in receivers and other weapons that suit his talents. So the debates about Cutler vs. Orton need to stop. Hopefully this blog will help people figure out why this is the answer.

-Mike Moreau

Finishing-Relative in all sports

I am sure by now everyone has seen the Phil Cuzzi  blown call on the Joe Mauer shot down the line.  Major  League Baseball has extra umps for the post season and Cuzzi clearly did not do his job.

Cuzzi made two mistakes on the play.

1-Not seeing the ball hit off of Melky Cabrera's glove

2-The ball was clearly fair.

A mistake like that makes you wonder why they have extra umpires sitting on a line to do one job and they still can not seem to get it right. Phil you have to get that call right, but despite your mistake, you are not to blame for the Twins loss. The Twins made many mistakes in the game that cost them the game.

The first of the many mistakes came when in the fourth inning when Carlos Gomez trip rounding second after Matt Tolbert single. The result of this mistake was Delmon Young's run not counting because Gomez got tagged out before Young could score.

People also seem to have forgotten that Joe Nathan blew a save in the ninth when Alex Rodriguez hit a cannon shot to center.  If Nathan nails down the save, most people watching the game (including me) probably do not even know who Phil Cuzzi is.

Despite the blown save, the Twins STILL had a chance to win the game. in the top of the 11th. After the blown call they got three straight hits to load the bases with no outs.  With no outs and MLB baseball players coming up, most fans believe they are going to get at least one run. Unfortunately for Twins, Young, Gomez, and Harris did not step up to produce that one run they needed.

Baseball is like many sports in the sense when you do not take advantage of great opportunities, it comes back to bite you. Mark Texiera came up in the bottom half of the inning and hit a walk off shot to win the game. Everyone who is not a Yankees fan is either angry or depressed like many Twins fans were.

The lesson to be learned here is that you have to finish and take things into your own hands. Twins fans and baseball fans in general should not look to Phil Cuzzi. Remember the fact that the Twins still had chances to win the game and did not come through in the clutch.


-Mike Moreau

Good night sweeheart, Well its time to go

The 2009 Chicago Cubs baseball season, full of expectations and hope has finally come to an end.  What better way to end a season than a disappointing 5-2 to Doug Davis and the Diamondbacks. I will not waste time recapping the season, but will offer my thoughts on suggestions for next year.

Players I expect to see gone

Aaron Heilman-One of Jim Hendry's mistakes this year. Heilman was brought over in a trade at the beginning of the season to be another arm in the bullpen. Heilman is teh classic case of a pitcher who has the stuff to be a solid pitcher, but has never quite reached his potential. Heilman will have to try again somewhere else, because he just did not produce.

Heilman vs. Right handed batters-8 home runs(gave up 9 all year), 43.2ip,5.50 era,.289 BAA(according to cubs.com and baseball-reference.com)

Milton Bradley-Enough has been said here about this situation. Bridges have been burned and he needs to go. Bradley is not to blame for the Cubs failures this year and is just a bad fit for the clubhouse. The Cubs will have to pick up a good chunk of his salary to get rid of him.

Aaron Miles-Brought in for his versatility and to help replace Mark DeRosa. What originally looked like a good signing, imploded in the Cubs face. He just did not produce this year and got in to Pinella's dog house very quick. Miles has another year on his contract so the Cubs might have to suck it up and just  out right release him.

Rich Harden-Harden is an interesting case. If he would be willing to come back for a one year deal the Cubs might be willing to sign him. Harden is dominant enough when he is on to earn a big contract from someone willing to take a chance on him.

Kevin Gregg-Brought in to close and failed. There is not much more to be said about that. Pinella stuck with him far too long.

Key questions

1. Who will hit lead off/Be the run producer the Cubs are looking for?

Theriot did a pretty good job there this year, but can he last a full year there? He tends to wind down towards the end of the baseball season due to the wear and tear of the baseball season. If Theriot is the guy next year the Cubs will have to find someone off the bench that can give Theriot a few days off.  If Theriot is not the guy, maybe it will be someone they pick up through free agency.

Whether Cubs fans believe it or not, Alfonso Soriano is a huge key to next season success. Soriano tried to tough it out this year and play on one leg and it hurt the Cubs. When Soriano is hot, he has carried the Cubs in the past.  If he is healthy and the Cubs pick up a lead off hitter and a rbi guy or combination of the two, the Cubs will have a potent line up.

2. What to do with Sean Marshall and Jake Fox?

Will he start? Be in the bullpen? Pinch hit? Marshall has done everything to the Cubs have asked him to do, and that includes playing left field this year for an at bat. Marshall was decent out of the bullpen, but I believe the Cubs need another lefty besides Grabow (who is expected to return).  Tom Gorzelanny could be the other lefty as well, but he will probably compete for a fifth starting spot next year.  If Gorzelanny is in the bullpen next year, what happens to Marshall? This will be an interesting question that could be brought up this off season.

There is no doubt that Jake Fox can hit, but where will he play? LF? Soriano is there. 3B or 1B? Definitely not an option. Do not be surprised to see Fox traded somewhere where he can get at bats. It would be nice to see him play full time but there is no real spot on the team for him.

3. What is the budget?

This is a question that can not be answered until the Cubs sale is fully complete. Hopefully the sale will be complete by the time winter meetings come around. With the answer to this question not being known, it is hard to talk about potential free agents.

4. Will Milton Bradley be traded?

The Cubs will definitely try to do this, but will anyone bite? A couple of sites have mentioned a few teams being interested, but as stated earlier the Cubs will need to pick a big chunk of salary. Picking a big chunk of salary also affects the budget.

However, if there is a decent budget, here are potential free agents to look at. The numbers are no indication of who I think should be looked at the most. These are just a few guys that could potentially fill spots for the Cubs.

Source (http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/2001/05/2010-free-agents.html)

1. Chone Figgins
2. Mark DeRosa
3. Jack Wilson (contract has a 2010 option)
4.  Akinori Iwamura(2B)
5. Bobby Abreau
6. Marlon Byrd
7. Carl Crawford (2010 option)
8. Xavier Nady

-Mike Moreau

What were they thinking?

And the winner is... Texas Tech's Mike Leach

The situation: Beginning of the fourth quarter and Texas Tech is up 28-23. Tech is driving and eventually ends up having 1st and goal at Houston's seven yard line.  Three plays later and its now fourth and goal at Houston's one yard line.

Decision/Result: Leach goes for it on fourth and goal and Houston stops Taylor Potts for no gain.

Result: The result came much later on Houston's game winning drive. Instead of having to go for two to just tie the game, all Houston has to do is just score to win the game.

It is always easy to second guess from the couch or bar or wherever you are watching a game, but I just can not figure out why Leach went for it. Your team is up five points in the fourth quarter and your defense has played relatively well, just kick the field goal. I am sure Leach's reasoning behind going for the touchdown is that Houston was not going to drive 99 yards and he ended up being correct there. However, all Houston had to do was simply score a touchdown. Leach admitted to making the wrong call, which is much easier to say after the fact. Any fan wants their coach thinking at critical times of games and its clear that Leach has too much pride is his offense to think clearly.  Put the pressure on Houston and make them go for two if they score as they did at the end of the game. As a result of Leach's poor decision, Tech is 2-2 with a tough schedule playing in the Big 12 south.  I think Leach may have cost his team a potential bowl bid.

Tech's future games (number in parentheses is win loss record)

New Mexico-Win (3-2)

Kansas St.-Win (4-2)

@Nebraska-Toss up.  Its a loss if Nebraska's defense is playing well (4-3)

Texas A&M-Win (5-3)

Kansas-Toss up. I think they get a win here, but for arguments sake, lets say loss. (5-4)

@ OK. St-Loss (5-5)

Oklahoma-Loss (5-6)

Baylor-win (6-6)

A 6-6 record would leave Texas Tech in bowl game limbo and instead of being 7-5, they would be 6-6 at the end of the year. Obviously these are just predictions, but it shows how one decision can affect a season.

Runner up: Gary Pinkel going for numerous uncalled two point conversions in Mizzou's win against Nevada. There is no need to go for two point conversions until the fourth quarter.

-Mike Moreau

Leadership. Competitive Fire. Dickwaddery.

Thanks, gatorzone.com. Now I destroy your false idol.

Let me preface this post with two valid and important points. One: I apologize to the world that I have not posted in ages. I know you've missed me ever so much. Two: Tim Tebow is one of the greatest collegiate football players of his generation. He's also, from all that's been printed about him, a fine young man.

Tim Tebow is also a grade-A dickwad.

"How can you say this?" come the cries from all corners of the media / Florida trailer parks. "Tebow is a saint! From stone was his visage built, into steel his words have been etched, and daggummit, the kid's got a heart of gold!"

Well, the guy sure isn't nice to his teammates. If you've watched ESPN in the past 24 hours, you have seen a replay of Florida's 23-13 victory over Tennessee on Saturday. Sure, everyone debated over whether the win was big enough for the Gators, favored by 30 in the Swamp (side note: the amount of hate spewed from the stands at Lane Kiffin and his Volunteer team in this game was palpable. People in the Big 12 who say Mizzou fans are bad should go to one SEC rivalry game and try to say it afterward. I dare them). But I think the real story came from a play early in the second quarter. Tied at 3-3 and inside the red zone, Tim Tebow saw all his Gator receivers covered (he thought)... so he called his own number and ran naked bootleg to his right. There were three Volunteers waiting at the end of his run, and Timmy leveled one of them, Refrigerator Perry style, before going down. End of play, positive yardage, no sweat for a running QB. Right?

Oh, wait. There's Tebow during the next timeout emasculating his entire offensive line for letting three white shirts tackle him at once. Looks like he's using words his Christian family never taught him. He's got enough red in his face to look like a giant pimple. He looks like Gordon Gekko on Black Monday after a coke binge the night before... sans the sweet hair. If you don't believe me, watch the play yourself. (Ed. note: As much as I don't want to link there... it's the first highlight on the reel.)

Pundits have praised this type of behavior from #15 before. "He's a natural-born leader! You've GOT to love the intensity he brings to the foot-ball game!" I heard one tonight that simply took the cake, though. "THAT'S the type of guy you want to play with!"

Really? If I was an offensive lineman, would I really want a man who some people in the South revere as a demi-god asking me who I didn't block on a busted play? Because when the cameras see it - like they did on Saturday - I will never, ever be right. Never mind the entire play call pulled to the offense's left, never mind that Tennessee had some excellent downfield coverage, and never mind that Tebow had motion receiver Jeffrey Demps open in the flat for a short gain, or at least no loss on a busted play.

Never mind any of those facts, because they will always be wrong. What Tim Tebow does is universally right in the press and in the eyes of the football fan, because Tim Tebow almost wasn't born, does missionary work, etc. His word is inviolate.

What real leader faults his followers when he decides to act on his own? I'm sorry, but you can't throw your O-line under the bus for following the play in the playbook. None of them have heads on a swivel to see Tebow's change of direction behind the play, and for all we know (the TV shot didn't show too much), Tennessee was playing numbers on the strong side. Florida tried a WR overload on the short side of the field, had everything snuffed out by great red zone defense, and then Tebow looks like a Tex Avery cartoon on the sideline because no big galoot was there to block for him?

If it were anyone else on Florida treating fellow players like crap after that same play, I think Urban Meyer might dig back to some Mormon roots and bench that kid's butt for as long as he saw fit. He would get it into his skull that this was a team game, and we do not treat our teammates and brothers-in-arms like that. There is no room for that kind of disrespect on a championship team.

Seriously, would anyone be at all surprised if we found out, once Tebow turns pro, that he treated his teammates like garbage on a regular basis? That nobody spoke out for fear of external pressures (AKA "Tebow-lovers") ending in their getting benched or cut? That practice was a nightmare at the hands of a taskmaster who is given free reign because his coach knows he's ridden the kid to two championships? Now that the "fire and brimstone" has been seen on a national stage, in an instance it should never have been employed, I would be shocked if we didn't hear stuff like this someday.

I seriously hope when Tebow goes pro, he acts like this at his first training camp. It would preferably be for a team that has already anointed him a starter, or drafted him in the hopes he becomes a core piece of the franchise.  If all this falls into place, 20 bucks says Tebow goes into a no-contact scrimmage with strong words for a wideout, and leaves with a black eye.

That's what real-world dickwads end up with once in a while. Here's hoping Tim Tebow can have the pleasure of the same experience if he doesn't treat his mates with a bit more respect.

Always a saint,

~Matt

What were they thinking?

Patrick Mannelly (www.longsnapper.com)

I would like to apologize about not updating this earlier. I just have not had the energy lately to do this, which is surprising considering what I am going to talk about. I think this a lot, so it could become a continuing segment.

What were you thinking first edition Winner: Patrick Mannelly and Lovie Smith 

4th and 11 on your own 30 yard line, up 12-10, what do you do? Most people reading this blog would say punt, actually SCREAM it 99.9% of the time.

     For some unknown reason that punt did not occur. Instead the ball was snapped to an unprepared Garrett Wolfe who ran for two yards. The Packers went three and out, but were in field goal range and went up 13-12. No one can say this one play changed the game, because the Bears regained the lead before losing it again. It however definitely affected the outcome.

     We learned after the game that Mannelly had the authority to snap it to the up man if he saw something he could exploit. The situation Mannelly thought he could exploit was the Packers having too many men on the field. This might have been a good play if a) it were not 4th and 11, b) the penalty would have resulted in a first down, and c) inside your own 30 yard line in the fourth quarter of a big game. Not to mention Mannelly had his head down and Clay Matthews got off the field. The failed play lead to a challenge of twelve men on the field and subsequently the loss of the Bears last time out. 

     This is were Lovie Smith comes into play. I can not for sure say Lovie gave Mannelly but someone had to give him that authority. This is something I am sure the Bears have worked on in practice many times. Did they practice time and situation and how to make the proper play call? It looks like the answer is no. Patrick Mannelly is great at his job, but at such a critical point of the game, the long snapper should never have the authority to make such a call. Their job is to snap the ball,  run down the field, and attempt to make a tackle, not audibles. 

     Mannelly can not be blamed for the lost because Jay Cutler had four interceptions and the Bears as usual failed to score touchdowns. A lot of fans might fail to realize the Bears still had a chance to go on a game winning drive before Cutler threw his fourth interception. The play is magnetized is because it happened late in the fourth quarter of a big game against Packers.  All that being said, it is one game. I am sure the team will learn from their mistakes and make better decisions all around. Mannelly still gets the award for what were they thinking?

     Runner up for WWYT is Charlie Weis. Weis's time management allowed Michigan to save their last two times outs for their game winning drive.

-Mike Moreau

College football reactions

College football is back and I just wanted to share some thoughts I had on the Missouri vs. Illinois game. Throughout the season I will talk about other teams as well. I figured being a Mizzou grad, I would start with them.

Blaine Gabbert (Jeff Roberson, AP)

Mizzou vs Illinois (Mizzou wins 37-9)

Coming into the game, the majority of the talk was about duo Juice and Benn. A lot of the talk consisted of how dangerous of a combination they could be this year. Mizzou was a mystery to the national media. There was no consensus on how this team would be after major losses on defense and offense.  Well that is why the game is decided on the field.

                                                            (ShaneKeyser, McClatchy-Tribune)


Offense                                                                                   

I was extremely impressed with Gabbert's feel for the offense. He made good reads and scrambled when needed to. Its hard to put a lot of the teams success on one player, but Mizzou needs Gabbert to play well to have a good season.  Danario Alexander had a fantastic game and will have a great season if he can stay on the field. The offense also had a little bit of balance, something they did not have much of last year. Mizzou should continue to run the ball to take pressure of Gabbert. Last year Mizzou did not run the ball enough and teams keyed in on the passing game.  One other key factor I almost failed to mention was the kicking game. Grant Ressel was 3-3 and perfect on extra points.  A number of people, including myself, failed to think of the impact of losing Jeff Wolfert. Wolfert the most accurate kicker in NCAA history played a key part in Mizzou's success the last two years. If Ressel is anything close, that should also take some pressure of Gabbert.  The only concern I had were the few dropped passes that happened. Dropped passes kill momentum and drives. If the offense stays balanced and Gabbert continues to be accurate, I see good things happening.

Defense

This was the biggest concern coming into the game. I came away very impressed with what the defense did against the Illini.  After reading up on spring reports of the defense, I felt they would be better.  I felt they would be better because they would blitz less. The defense got a little blitz happy last year and did not get to the quarterback much. That resulted in teams lighting up Mizzou's defensive backs in numerous games, including last year when juice had 451 passsing yards and 5 td passes.  This year they held the Illini to 9 points and were able to control the Illini from the start of the game to the finish. Something Mizzou will have to do is get takeaways and they got off to a good start. The defense had an interception and fumble recovery in the game Saturday. The defense looks faster and simpler than the defense last year. If you are looking for a player to look out for other than Sean Witherspoon, check out Aldon Smith.  Aldon had a great game and was all over the field. I expect big things from him this year.

Overall

Mizzou won the game as I figured they would, but just not in that fashion. They played well on both sides of the ball and controlled the majority of the game. Mizzou will not take the next two teams lightly (Bowling Green and Furman), but the next big test is at Nevada.  Even though Nevada got crushed by Notre Dame 35-0, it will be the teams first game on the road.  It will be a good experience in a tough place to play football games. With all that being said, I have a positive outlook on the rest of the season.

-Mike Moreau

Ricky Rubio mess

    The answer to the question, where will Ricky Rubio play has finally been answered. Unfortunately for Timberwolves fans , it will not be in Minnesota.

   According this article on Rubio, Timberwolves general manager (GM) David Kahn says Rubio backed out on a deal to play this year. Rubio nowor has always wants to play in spain for two more years to better prepare himself for the NBA. There is a lot of blame to be spread for this happening. 

1. Ricky Rubio-

   One has to wonder, did Rubio ever plan on coming to the NBA this year? Or did he see he got drafted by the Timberwolves  and is trying to get them to trade his rights to a major market team. Either way, Rubio does not escape this mess without blame.                                                    Ricky Rubio

   I  dont believe Rubio ever planned on coming to the NBA for a couple of reasons. Rubio as stated earlier is still under contract for his Spanish team. The buyout is 8 million dollars and the NBA only allows NBA teams to give 500,000 to help with a buy out. That means Rubio, if he really wanted to play this season would have to pay 7.5 million dollars to get out of his contract.  Rubio is 18 years old and does not believe he is ready to make the big jump. Instead of waiting two more years and possibly falling out of the lottery, Rubio decided to apply for the draft.  With all the hype Rubio got, it made his decision easy. Enter the draft now, become a lottery pick, stay in Spain for two years.  If the Timberwolves and other NBA teams knew this coming into the 2009 draft, I do not believe Rubio is a lottery pick. If Rubio is not a lottery pick, the Tiberwolves and David Kahn are not involved in this mess.

2. The Minnesota Timberwolves-

    David Kahn is not having the best off season and he has himself to blame for it. Drafting foreign players under contract is always a risk. No one knows whether or not to believe Kahn when he says Rubio backed out of a deal. Kahn definitely tried his hardest to get Rubio signed.  It started with this trade that gave the fifth round pick and Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila and Oleksiy Pecherov. Kahn also made multiple trips to Spain  that failed to get Rubio to break his contract

    What would have happened if Hasheem Thabeet was still on the board? I bet David Kahn does as well.. Kahn says he has no regrets about taking Rubio because he believes that Rubio was the best pick at the time. However, why not take Jordan Hill? An up and coming front line player to team with Al Jefferson. Or if you are interested in another guard, take Stephen Curry who can play the PG or SG. Another option could have been DeMar DeRozan, who probably needed another year in college but is a player similar in size to Rubio and a SG. Current and future NBA GMs should learn from this experience and do some homework on a foreign player before drafting them.

     Now both sides have to sit around playing the waiting game. Rubio has to hope that in two years the Timberwolves will have room for him. Rubio will be two years behind Johnny Flynn who should develop into a solid PG. Two years is a long time and the Timberwolves could make moves that could make Rubio expendable.  On the other side of things, the Timberwolves have to hope Rubio is still the player they drafted two years from now. Lots of things could happen that hinder develop like Rubio getting hurt or Rubio just not getting better as a player. Do not forget the fact that Rubio might not even be an NBA caliber player, scouts have been wrong before. 

-Mike Moreau

Where Was I At 20 Years Old?

Well, I wasn't in the pokey. He's still alright, though.

Really quickly, let's run down the synopsis of a young, American life. There lives a 20-year-old man who was born in a northern, working-class city with harsh winters. He is the oldest child of four, with three sisters he would defend whenever it's necessary. He was raised with a strong sense of family, was pretty popular in school (when he went), and had likely no problem taking on the bullies in grade school.

Oh yeah, he also played a lot of hockey as a kid. At a high level. Such as, when he was still a kid, he was in the NHL.

Look, a lot of people dumped on Patrick Kane as soon as they found out he and his cousin went tough on a Buffalo cabbie. . . over 20 pennies, no less. At first, I thought it was pretty stupid, too. Then I read something that was more stupid than two twenty-somethings in a cab.

In an August 24th article in "The Faster Times," writer B.D. Gallof (Heard of him? You haven't? Shocker. Well, he is an Islanders fan) takes the classic sportswriter's high road and rips into a gifted athlete making more money than he does.

Basically, the piece drones on about how everyone's favorite 88 on ice is an immature, millionaire malcontent. The triviality of fighting over that little money! But B.D. puts it all into perspective:

Even the recession seems to be hitting the young stars of the NHL. I mean, 20 cents is at least the price of a wing at Duff’s.

My stars, was that joke rich! I think I cracked a rib! So with that as an appetizer, we are led to the main course:

What has been terribly telling was Patrick Kane’s public apology to fans and the team. Kane used Michael Vick as a descriptive, making those who are already shaken take pause, even if they want to believe his innocence or that it was all a big misunderstanding that bruised up a cabbie’s face and broke his glasses.

By the way…there was no apology to the cabbie.

So the insinuation here is, before making any court appearance (Note: Gallof's piece is dated on the 24th. Kane pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on the 20th), Kane ought to apologize to the man nobody has proven he wronged? Uh, okay. In that case, let me say "I'm sorry" to every ex-girlfriend I've ever had. It really WAS me, not you. I mean it this time.

From my perspective, right or not, this is how I think the episode went down. Kanes enter cab. Upon arriving at their destination, one of them chooses to pay with cash, ready to go. The other goes to open the taxi door. . . but it's locked. Uh-oh, who is this guy? Does he recognize Pat? Is he going to try to extort us because Pat is under 20, filthy rich, and isn't supposed to be drinking?

So the Kane with the money tries to pull it back, and they both ask the driver to let them out before he gets any money. The cabbie, having seen this act from college types before (and having had a crummy day, as people stuck in traffic often do), starts to get short with them. Once tensions flare, and people start to worry if they got in a cab with a madman, fisticuffs ensue.

You can't tell me this doesn't happen at least once every weekend in major American cities! This is how the world works! I've been unsettled in a cab before. People know who Son of Sam was. Fact is, you're trusting a total stranger to behave like a professional, and most cab drivers do. But if the Kanes asked him to let them out - and I think they did - it was the driver's responsibility to let them out and then ask more questions. I'm sure he's lost bigger fares than 15 dollars before.

Instead of forming a rational scenario like this one, Mr. Gallof decides Kane is a punk, spoiled rotten, and has a ton of money, yet is still so immature he will fight over 20 cents. Yes, Kane was a bit coddled in juniors, and yes, he is only as old as the change he and his cousin "fought over." Still, it is hard to fathom that much of this is true:

What is stone-cold clear here is Patrick Kane does not know how to conduct himself publicly. Rumblings of immaturity and obnoxious behavior come out of Chicago by some who have seen him with his “boys.” That said, some feel that Kane is not as bad as he was made out to be, and was not smart about the situation. But is that just wishful thinking?

Was his trip home further regression into teenage misbehavior?

No, there was no teenage regression here, and I will tell you why. Any teenager would have given the cab driver 20 bucks to keep his mouth shut after he and his buddies had been drinking all night! In fact, any teenager out drinking would have wanted to just get away from the cab so he could throw up in the bushes after a rough ride. And as far as this rowdy behavior out on the town is concerned, I don't think the Bowman family would put up with much crap. I mean, they wouldn't want a poor example for the children in the house. The same ones that Pat loved watching hockey with on off days.

I'm not saying Patrick Kane is above reproach here. He is a very public figure, one of the faces of a resurgent and powerful hockey franchise, and a video game cover boy. He ought to know better, really. But does that mean a guy with no record and his cousin should go down in flames for a common misunderstanding? Absolutely not.

In the end, it seems as though this incident will fizzle out of public consciousness, as it should. Paging B.D. Gallof: the cab driver got his apology - in writing, no less - once the Kanes switched their pleas. Now all we are left with are a guy who wants to move on and represent his country in the Olympics, a cab driver's 15 minutes of fame, and a funny nickname to go with some hilarious Photoshops (Thanks, Canucks Central).

Oh, and a whiny, petulant sportswriter who might be related to someone we Chicagoans know and loathe.

Milton Bradley

I wondered what to write about for this first blog, but Milton Bradley sparked my interest this week. Two articles came out recently saying Milton has never felt comfortable in Chicago (discomfort) , while another suggested he has been the victim of racial slurs(racist).

One thing Milton failed to realize when signing his $30 million dollar contract (now $32 million due to reaching a certain number of at bats) is that the Cubs have not won a world series in 101 years. Did he ever stop and think Cubs fans are a very frustrated fan base? In Milton's world, the answer is probably no. He is happy collecting his huge contract to do absolutely nothing. Cubs fans want to root for the guy, but it is hard when it took him five months to start hitting the ball like Jim Hendry signed him to do. It is also hard because Milton is very hard to like. Alfonso Soriano has been quoted several times saying he does not know how to talk to Milton. When a fan base has high expectations, and you do not produce, they will not be happy. Booing is a part of the game, whether people like it or not. Milton you are a professional athlete, it is going to happen, especially when you struggle. You are not going to get a standing ovation for breaking your bat and weakly grounding to second base consistently. When you finally do get a hit or go 4-4 in meaningless games, do not mock the fans, you will not win that battle.

Onto the other point of Milton saying he has been the victim of racial slurs. The only people that can really confirm this are Milton and the people have may have said these racial slurs. Milton was asked to give examples but declined to give specifics and then said there is nothing he can do about it. Milton if this has been a problem all season, why wait until now to say something? Say something to security, the fans in right field would gladly help point the person out. No one can stop these things from happening if they do not know its going on. You are a big boy, it is ok to use your words like your mom taught you to. Being heckled has nothing to do with race, just as Jim Hendry said, ask Kent Mercker and Todd Hundley. One thing all those players had in common is that they were bad in Chicago. I am not condoning racist behavior at all, but if it is happening, say something and get them kicked out. Handling it through the media is never a good idea. I think it is as cowardly as those fans who might have said something.

Lou says Cubs fans are very supportive and they are. How else can you explain a team that has not won a world series in 101 years have people who still care after years of heartbreak. Maybe once Milton gets over the everyone is against me mentality, Cub fans will warm up to him. Will that happen? Unfortunately, does not look like that will be happening anytime soon.